Being an Introvert in an Extraverted World

It seems that extraverts increasingly rule the world: People tell all on reality shows, long to be the next American Idol, and rush to share everything about their lives via phone, e-mail, and the Internet. But psychotherapist and Introvert Power author Laurie Helgoe reminds us in Psychology Today that introverts haven’t gone away. We’re just quietly dealing with the demands of living in a loud, in-your-face society that doesn’t understand us—even in its insistence that it just wants us to be happy:

Scientists now know that, while introverts have no special advantage in intelligence, they do seem to process more information than others in any given situation. To digest it, they do best in quiet environments, interacting one on one. Further, their brains are less dependent on external stimuli and rewards to feel good.

As a result, introverts are not driven to seek big hits of positive emotional arousal—they’d rather find meaning than bliss—making them relatively immune to the search for happiness that permeates contemporary American culture. In fact, the cultural emphasis on happiness may actually threaten their mental health. As American life becomes increasingly competitive and aggressive, to say nothing of blindingly fast, the pressures to produce on demand, be a team player, and make snap decisions cut introverts off from their inner power source, leaving them stressed and depleted. Introverts today face one overarching challenge—not to feel like misfits in their own culture.

If you’re saying “Right on!” then you too are probably an introvert, whose ranks compose a full half of the populace but whose behavior still seems suspect to many—including mental health professionals, apparently. The World Health Organization still pathologizes introversion, and the American Psychiatric Association is “considering a proposal to include introversion in the next edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5),” Helgoe wrote with Nancy Ancowitz on the Psychology Today website:

In the United States giddy and garrulous are good, and quiet and contemplative are suspect. The WHO’s definition and APA’s proposed definition of introversion align with that rigid Western bias.

It seems that things haven’t gotten a whole lot better for introverts since Jonathan Rauch wrote his short essay “Caring for Your Introvert” for The Atlantic in 2003, a deftly written manifesto that was widely circulated.

Actually Meyers-Briggs tests put the percentage of introverts at 30%, so we are outnumbered! Introversion is a perfectly valid way of being in the world. It gets confused with shyness which is a self-esteem issue.

Lauri Lumby

11/17/2010 7:56:41 AM

As a Spiritual Director, the greatest portion of the work I do with people is to help them connect with their inner truth and in that journey to gather together all the fragmented parts of themselves. For introverts, a large portion of the journey is learning to be ok with being an introvert in an extroverted world and to embrace the gifts of being an introvert. For extroverts, part of the journey is often about reclaiming their inner-introvert, the part of themselves that needs to nurture alone time. It is richly rewarding to discover all these parts of ourselves and allow them to be synthesized into a harmonious and cohesive whole.
Lauri Lumby
http://yourspiritualtruth.com